Publisher / Place of Publication: Wicklow County Council / County Buildings, Wicklow Town, County Wicklow.

About: Perhaps Halloween is an appropriate occasion on which to showcase this publication. Gravestones have obvious genealogical value but in this book the author highlights the artistic quality and the social and religious background to the creation of headstones in 18th century Wicklow. Many of the examples shown are located in the southern and western half of the county. This book was published by the Heritage Office of Wicklow County Council as one of the outcomes of the County Wicklow Heritage Plan. It is lavishly illustrated with colour photographs in an A4 landscape format.

Full title: The Hollywood Slabs: Some Late Medieval Grave Slabs from West Wicklow and Neighbouring Counties

Creator / Author: Christiaan Corlett

Item Type / Page count: Journal Article / 25p

Journal Information: Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, Vol. 133, pp. 86-110

When Published: 2003

Publisher / Place of Publication: The Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland / 63 Merrion Square South, Dublin 2

About: The author first discovered this type of grave slab in Hollywood in West Wicklow. He coined the term ‘Hollywood Slabs’ to describe them, although there are now many more such slabs to be found outside of the Hollywood area. The slabs date from the medieval period and have distinctive characteristics. This article lists and describes all such slabs known to the author at the time of writing.

ID number(s): 0035-9106

Extra #1: includes five pages of black/white photographs and numerous illustrations.

Full title: Wicklow’s traditional farmhouses: rediscovering some of Wicklow’s hidden treasures and a way of life that went with them

Creator / Author: Christiaan Corlett

Item Type / Page count: Book / 140p

When Published: 2014

Publisher / Place of Publication: Wicklow County Council / County Buildings, Whitegates, Wicklow Town, County Wicklow.

About: This book was published by Wicklow County Council as one of the outcomes of the County Heritage Plan. It is lavishly illustrated with mostly colour photographs. Indeed the only page not containing at least one photograph is the final page of references. However, it is not a dry collection of pictures of old buildings and ruins. Rather, the author places the images in context and comments on the lifestyle and traditions of the Wicklow country folk. Not all old farmhouses in the county are included here and it is quite likely that this book may be the first of a small series. Overall, this is an outstanding example of a local authority publication.

Publisher / Place of Publication: Archaeology Ireland / Media House, South County Business Park, Dublin 18.

About: This is a glossy A4 brochure which folds out to the equivalent of six A4-size pages. It is Number 54 in the Archaeology Ireland Heritage Guide Series. It is a profusely illustrated introduction to the remains of a twelfth-century church which the author indicates must have been “one of the largest rural parish churches of its day”. The site of the church was associated with St. Finnian, who flourished in the sixth-century.

ID number(s): None. The ID number 0790-892X printed on the brochure relates to the journal ‘Archaeology Ireland’.

Extra #1: includes several colour photographs, plus a plan, plus a map.

About: A cursus is a prehistoric construction consisting of two banks parallel to each other. They can extend for some considerable distances. Their function is not clear, although they appear to be associated with other nearby prehistoric features. This article looks at four cursuses in the South Leinster area, two of which are in West Wicklow, one which is just over the border in East Kildare and one in South Carlow.

About: Imagine the time involved fashioning a large Irish High Cross from Wicklow granite only to have it break while being turned over. This article looks at such a cross,
left where it was in the fields of Ballintubber near Hollywood. It’s an ill wind that doesn’t blow some good and this accident now leaves a legacy pointing to how such crosses may have been made.

Journal Information: Journal of The Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, Volume 134, pp. 80-90

When Published: 2004

Publisher / Place of Publication: R.S.A.I / Merrion Square, Dublin

About: The article is a detailed description of the visible remains of an archaeological site which encloses several hut sites and a standing stone. The site is compared with hillforts in the area although it differs from these in that it is not located at the summit. A site excavation will be needed to try to answer questions about its origin and use.

ID number(s): 0035-9106

Extra #1: Includes 10 black & white photographs and a plan of the site.

About: The inaugural publication of a set of articles on aspects of the history and heritage of areas that surround Blessington Lake. All articles are concise ranging from snippets to four and a half pages. Plans are already afoot for the next issue.

About: Although it is an artificial lake, the waters of Poulaphuca ebb and flow just like any other and what was once dry land is now a shoreline that the water wears away. During some unusually dry spells between 2006-2009, this abraded shoreline revealed the remains of a Stone Age dwelling. In this article the author describes the archaeological evidence that was uncovered including an unusual quantity of saddle querns located in the vicinity.

Full title: Beneath the Poulaphuca reservoir: the 1939 Poulaphuca survey of the lands flooded by the Liffey reservoir scheme

Creator / Author: Christiaan Corlett (editor)

Item Type / Page count: Book / 352p

When Published: 2008

Publisher / Place of Publication: Stationery Office, Dublin.

About: A handsome and comprehensive presentation of the results of a survey that took place in 1939 of the lands that were soon to be flooded forever to create the Poulaphuca Reservoir. The editor brings to light for the first time the maps, photographs, folklore and recollections of an area now submerged.